It happened in a blink
by Vaniwa
Summary: Challenged into living the twins' lives for a week, her perception on the boys' mischief changes. And that's not the only thing that changes. Why doesn't it feel right for her any more when she finally has the boy she used to be so head over heels for the past few years? [Mainly FredxHermione, a few RonxHermione references.]
1. The plan

**It happened in a blink**

 **Chapter 1: The plan**

 _ **A/N:** I own nothing except my mistakes. **So,** this is just a short introduction to the most likely really long story that will follow. And in case you wonder, this takes place in Hermione's fifth year, following all the way up to after the war. _

It was driving her beyond mad: the constant apparating of the twins around the house. And that didn't change when they apparated once more into the bedroom upon Harry's arrival, interrupting them in mid-conversation. "Fancy seeing you back, Harry." Fred said and George grinned, "Yes, it's been really dull without our ray of sunshine around." He joked as Hermione watched him take in Harry's dark look.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Honestly, boys, don't you have any subtlety?" The twins grinned simultaneously, "Afraid that wasn't included in the package, Hermione." Fred commented and she sighed in frustration. "Anyway, if you're all done, we have something you'd like to hear." George said and ushered them out the room, all surrounding themselves around the railings of the stairs.

Putting in the ear piece, Hermione watched as the Extendable Ear was moving down, stopping right down at the door and the voices came clear through it, allowing them to hear what the Order members had been talking about in their meetings for weeks now.

The approaching cat, however, all caught their attention and Hermione whispered frantically at it, ordering to stay back but the cat refused to listen. "Crookshanks!" She exclaimed as he snatched the ear from the thread it was hanging on, and gulped it down easily.

Being called down soon afterwards, they all took their seats around the table, Hermione sitting next to the twins as they waited for dinner to appear on the table before all diving into it. Loud chatter spread around the table, all indulging in their own conversations, but Hermione kept quiet, subconsciously listening to all the conversations around her.

"What do you say, Freddie?" George's voice suddenly caught her attention. Subtly brushing a strand of hair behind her left ear, she concentrated on the conversation on her left, where the boys were whispering to each other. "I'd say we get started as soon as possible, Georgie." Fred whispered back, his voice laced with mischief.

That got her wondering, because what exactly were they planning on doing? If it had been a prank, she was sure she'd hear them mention the name of the victim, or the object they'd prank them with. But she heard neither of those. So what was it that they were planning?

"Hermione?" The voice ripped her out of her thoughts, and her eyes landed on the source: Ron Weasley. Moving a little forward, she looked to her far left and saw Ron sitting next to the twins, looking at her hesitantly. He seemed to be in a serious debate of what he was going to say, and her neck was starting to hurt pretty bad.

"Ron, if you have something to say, please do it quickly." She said loud enough so he could hear. Snickers were heard beside her, "Yes, Ron, where are your manners?" Fred started, his twin following up close.

"That's no way to treat a lady, is it, Fred?"

"Right you are, George. The poor woman's neck is going to snap anytime soon if you don't stop gaping like a fish."

The twins grinned and Hermione rolled her eyes, focusing back on Ron. "Well?" She urged on and he let out a sigh, "Can we talk? _Alone._ " He said and Hermione nodded, leaving the table along with him and stopping once they were out of the room. "What's the matter?" Hermione asked and Ron scratched behind his head as he sheepishly spoke: "You look beautiful, Hermione. And I.."

He stopped talking again and Hermione's heart rate sped up, anxious to hear what he wanted to say. "I was wondering if perhaps.. you know.. I mean, you don't have to.. Only if you want to, of course.." He rambled and Hermione interfered, not wishing to listen to his stumbling all night long. "Ron, just spit it out already."

"Well, I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to go out on a date sometime?" He spoke so fast that she almost didn't catch it, but after a few seconds it dawned on her and her lips fell into a small 'oh.' Did she want to go out with him? Sure, she admitted to having perhaps a minor crush on him, but was she ready for a relationship? Especially in her busy upcoming school year?

Hermione sighed as she looked at his anxious face, feeling rather guilty as the words left her lips: "Ron, I'd love to, but now is not the best timing considering our O.W.L.s this year." The pained expression on his face made her entire insides squirm, her heart aching for him as he nodded with an exaggerated fake smile. "Of course, 'Mione." He said, trying to sound happy but failing miserably. "I'm really sorry, Ron." He shook his head, "No worries." And with that, he brushed past her and went up the stairs, most likely disappearing into his room.

Walking back into the dining room, she made brief eye contact with Fred, who was watching her curiously as she went to sit back down besides him. "Where's ickle Ronniekins, Hermione?" Fred asked with his usual grin, "Yeah, didn't strangle him, did you?" George piped in.

"Although, we wouldn't blame you, of course."

"We've been wanting to do that for ages." George finished and Hermione sighed as she looked at the two, "I didn't strangle him! He just went upstairs because he wasn't feeling well." Hermione lied, although she could tell that they didn't believe her. Not that she blamed them, she had always been a bad liar after all.

"Or was it the other way around?" Fred went on. "Yeah, now that you mention it, Fred, she does look a bit red in the face." The twins both popped an elbow on the table and turned to look at her, observing her entire face with a grin. "Or did you perhaps snog so much that he went upstairs to take care of his swollen lips?" Fred guessed and she sighed in frustration, "Like I said, he wasn't feeling well."

The boys snickered, "Whatever you say, Hermione." They chorused and focused back on their own conversation as Hermione took some ice cream that had appeared on the table. Listening closely, she followed the talk between Harry and the rest of the Order members. However, everything they told him was something she could have guessed herself as well.

Calling it a day, everyone went upstairs. Luckily for her, she only had to walk up one set of stairs, for the bedroom she shared with Ginny was on the first floor. And her luck was even more expansed when she realized that Ron was sleeping a floor above her, so she had no chance of running into him as she went up.

Changing quickly into her pajamas, she jumped into her bed and tried to fall asleep as quick as she possibly could, wanting to avoid any questions Ginny might have, for she was sure that Ginny had overheard Hermione's conversation with the twins as well.

However, her luck was running out as she was currently boarding the Hogwarts train after a week of non-stop cleaning in Grimmauld Place. "Hermione, when are you planning on telling me what's up with you and Ron?" Ginny had asked once more, and Hermione nervously looked around her, glad to spot the prefect compartment and rushing to it, "Sorry Gin, I have to go." She said and quickly slid in, sighing in relief as she took place on the left bench, letting her head fall against the window.

For a minute, she had completely forgotten that Ron was a prefect as well, so it surprised her greatly when he walked into the compartment, his face expressionless as he avoided her eyes as he sat down opposite her.

Waiting until the other prefects arrived, they started their meeting and discussed their schedules. Due to all the talking, the time went faster than it usually did and so she hurriedly got into her school robes, finishing just in time before the train came to a halt.

The prefects rushed out of the compartment, guiding the first years to the platform of the Hogsmeade Station and over to Professor Grubbly-Plank, which caught Hermione by her surprise upon seeing the woman, having expected a hairy half giant instead.

After making sure every first year had been gathered around the teacher, she hurried to the carriages along with Ron, although he seemed to have hastened up his steps to avoid walking with her. Not that she minded, for she felt rather awkward in his presence as well.

They sat through the sorting and Dumbledore's welcome speech, along with the introduction of Professor Umbridge, who appeared to be full of rubbish after listening to hearing what she said. She sugar coated it nicely, as to give the illusion that she meant well, but Hermione didn't buy it. She read directly through the lines, and did not like what she found there. They truly never would get a quiet year at Hogwarts.

After everyone had gratefully eaten the delicious meals Hogwarts had offered them, they all headed upstairs to their respective common rooms, Hermione and Ron leading the group of first years and showing them around the place before entering their own bedroom themselves.

"Unbelievable!" Hermione exclaimed in frustration the next week after their arrival as she walked into the Gryffindor common room, watching the Weasley twins with a couple of first years surrounding them in a corner. "Who's next for the puking pastilles?" Fred asked enthusiastically, a grin spreading on his lips which widened only more as he saw her approach.

"Fred! I thought I made myself clear. You will not experiment on first years!" Hermione said, her voice high and laced with anger, the everlasting grin on the twin boy's face riling it up even more. "Oh, come on, Hermione. It's offensive how poorly you think of us." Fred said in feigned hurt, and George chimed in: "We tested it on ourselves first, of course."

"And all we need to do now, is see if it works the same for every person."

"With their safety ensured. Take the puking pastilles for example, they're double-ended. Eating the orange half will cause you to throw up, the purple half, however, restores you to perfect health." Fred finished and Hermione raised a stern eyebrow, "And what makes you so certain that the other antidotes for your products will work?"

But Fred didn't take her bait and refused to go into an argument of which they both knew she would win. "You need to loosen up a bit, Hermione." Fred said and stood up, casually placing an arm around her shoulder." Right you are, Fred." George said, coming up along with his brother and throwing his own arm around the other shoulder. "How about you take a look into our lives for a week?" Fred suggested with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"And why exactly would I do that?" Hermione questioned and snapped her head to the right when George spoke: "Give us the opportunity to change your mind." Her head snapped to the left as Fred now spoke: "Without any point takings, any objections and without any lectures, you will live our lives for an entire week."

"And if you're still persistent at the end of the week.."

".. you can punish us in whichever way you like." Fred said and Hermione winced in slight pain from all the head turning between the twins. Biting on her lip, she thought it over for a second. But after seeing no harm in just observing them, she reluctantly nodded with a sigh. "This is going to be such a waste of my time." Hermione groaned and the twins pulled equally matching grins, "We beg to differ." They said in unison.


	2. Not so bad

**It happened in a blink**

 **Chapter 2: Not so bad**

 _ **A/N:** I own nothing except my mistakes. **S** ome events might take place earlier than it originally does. Expect this to happen a lot more in my story._

The following Monday morning they truly did seem to stick to their promise, as they were waiting outside of the girls' bedroom door, smiles planted on their faces as she groggily stared at them with tired eyes.

"Good morning, sunshine." Fred said and both twins linked their arms with hers, guiding her out of the common room. "Had a nice sleep?" George asked and Hermione groaned, "If only I had. Parvati and Lavender wouldn't keep quiet for most of the night." The boys chuckled as they walked down the many flights of the marble stairs, "Lucky we're around, then." Fred said and George took over, "Yeah, we'll get that big brain of yours working soon enough."

Hermione sighed, "I'm afraid you will indeed." They laughed as Fred was the first to speak, "We might be careless about the rules, dear Hermione, but we aren't reckless."

"Unless you count that time we blew up one of the toilets and nearly got killed in the process."

"Well, that was a one time thing anyway. Point is, we almost always keep our pranks safe."

Hermione's eyes widened greatly, "Wait, you did what?" But they didn't answer her as they entered the Great Hall, the chattering of students ringing in her ear. Taking a seat on the bench, she was sandwiched between the boys as they ate their breakfast.

Fred and George talked to each other like she wasn't even in between them. Their conversation consisting out of their plans for their joke shop. "When are you planning on doing that, anyway?" Hermione piped in and they both turned to her at the same time, which she admitted was freaking her out a little. "As soon as we can." George said and she squinted her eyes in suspicion. "Better question, how are you planning on doing this?"

"Some questions are better left unanswered." Was all Fred said and she raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't get a chance to ask about that as Harry and Ginny arrived, Ron slumbering somewhere behind them. "Hermione! There you are. We were already wondering where it is you had left." Harry said as he swung his legs over the bench, grabbing a piece of toast.

"That'd be our fault, I guess. You see, we're borrowing Hermione for a week." Fred began, and Hermione mentally prepared herself for the endless head turning as George opened his mouth to speak. She truly was going to end up with a serious neck ache at the end of the week.

"No worries, you'll get her back at the end of the week."

"Perhaps with a few scratches and bruises.."

".. or even a missing leg.."

".. but she'll be alive." Fred finished and Hermione rolled her eyes at them as they high-fived each other for their smooth answer and the surprised looks on her friends' faces they had caused. "What exactly is it that you plan on doing with Hermione?" Ginny asked skeptically, watching her brothers with the same stern look their mother always pulled when the twins were up to something.

"All we'll do is kick some fun into her life. Nothing to worry about, little sister." George said as he reached out for another piece of toast. Ginny raised a questioning eyebrow at Hermione, "And you agreed to this?" She asked in disbelief and Hermione nodded, "I'm starting to regret my choice already, though." Hermione added and Ginny laughed as the twins feigned hurt.

"Blimey, Hermione! We truly do need to work on your poor judgment of us." Fred said and Hermione groaned as she needed to turn her head once more to the other twin.

"Yeah, just you wait. After this week you'll come running to us begging for more." Hermione scoffed, "I'd love to see that day." The bell rang, indicating the start of the day and was dragged by the twins to her first class of the day: Herbology. They insisted on walking her to her class, and ran away once they had arrived, trying to make it in time for their own class. If she was going to follow them around for a week, they couldn't use a detention.

Her classes all went very easy that day. She thankfully didn't have any Defence Against The Dark Arts classes that day. In her opinion, it was a waste of their time. Umbridge didn't even want to teach them how to defend themselves. At lunch she had been working on her homework, because she wouldn't have much time for that this week.

"I'm sorry, guys, but I can't follow you around tonight, I have to do my rounds." Hermione said at dinner to the twins sitting opposite her, sparing her from having to turn her head the entire time. "No worries, meet us at the Clock Tower at ten o'clock." Fred said and George nodded, "Don't look so disapproving, Hermione. It's part of the deal." Hermione sighed and reluctantly gave in. "If only I could take off points."

"But you can't." They both sang and chuckled at her annoyed expression. Walking with them to the common room after dinner, she made some more of her homework as the twins were playing chess with Lee Jordan, which she did not want to interrupt. They deserved some time with their friends as well.

As the time neared nine, she put away her schoolbooks and said her goodbyes to the twins and Lee. The corridors were dark, the passage only being lit by the few torches hanging on the wall. Walking her usual rounds, she looked for anything out of the ordinary, listened for any sounds that might betray the presence of another student, but it seemed to be a quiet night.

Making sure to keep a close check on her watch, she slowly headed up the floors as it neared ten, anxiously looking around her for any signs of a teacher. Even as a prefect she wasn't supposed to be out after ten.

Taking a detour, she walked all the way up to the fifth floor and took a left turn, walking into the upper part of the Tower. She couldn't afford taking the easiest way: which was to go from the fourth floor to the left, because she'd pass right by the hospital wing. And who knew who would still be awake and see her.

Apparently, the boys had the same idea as they jumped her from behind, causing Hermione to clasp a hand to her mouth as she muffled her scream. Hitting them both across the chest, she hissed quietly: "Don't scare me like that!"

The boys chuckled, "I think we should teach Hermione the secret passageways around the castle, don't you, Fred?" The outline of Fred's head nodded, "I think so too, George." Hermione's eyes widened as she looked at them both. "Are you mad? We'll get caught for sure!" Hermione whispered.

"No, we won't. Remember? _Secret_ passageways. Meaning no teacher will be able to find us." Even in the dark she could see his wiggling eyebrows and their wicked smiles. "What an extraordinary moment it will be when seeing _the_ Hermione Granger breaking the rules." George said in excitement and Hermione groaned, knowing there was no way around this without breaking her end of the deal.

"If we get caught, I will tell your mother about your plans to not complete this school year." This caught them off guard as their eyes widened, "How did you know?" Fred asked and she raised an accusing eyebrow at them. "Honestly, I'm called the brightest witch of my age for a reason. It's quite easy to figure out that you're dropping out of school." Hermione said matter-of-factly and the boys shook their heads in disbelief. "Should have known you'd figure it out." George said and Fred nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, no need to tell mom. In all our years at Hogwarts we've never been caught." This took Hermione by surprise, "Never?"

"Never." They said in unison and she looked at them impressively. "As much as I hate to admit it, that is rather impressive." The boys hooked their arms with hers again as they guided her out of the Clock Tower and through the corridors. "Did my ears deceive me? Is Hermione Granger honestly complementing us on our successful mischief?" Hermione smacked Fred's arm lightly, "Just because I find it impressive, does not mean I approve."

Wanting to continue walking forward, she was taken by surprise as she was pulled over to one of the portraits on the wall. In utter amazement she watched the portrait open as the boys mumbled the password, displaying a stone staircase leading somewhere she could not see.

Dragging her down, they kept their voices low for the place echoed slightly. "Not many know of this passageway, not even the teachers." Fred whispered, walking in front of her for the passage was rather small. "Yeah, it's great for making a quick escape." George whispered from behind her. "But where does it lead to?" Hermione asked as her curiosity took over.

She was always up for learning something new, and that included these passageways. Never had it been mentioned in the many books she had read, so her thirst for knowledge had been awoken greatly.

Stopping at the end of the passageway, Fred held up a finger to his lips suggesting to keep quiet as he pushed the other portrait door open, displaying the corridor of the seventh floor. "There are many more of these passageways." George started, making his way to stand next to his brother.

"But, I'm afraid you'll have to come back another time to discover those." Fred said with a wink and said the password to the Fat Lady, who scolded at them for waking her up. Standing in front of the open portrait door, he pointed his right arm to the common room and beamed a smile at her, "Ladies first." With a chuckle, she shook her head as she entered the common room, happy to be in a place where they couldn't get caught.

Watching the two boys enter the room after her, she looked at them curiously, wondering what else they had in store that week to show her. "That would be the tour for today, my lady." George said and bowed, earning him a smile. "Goodnight, boys."

"Goodnight, love." They chorused and she chuckled lightly, heading up the steps to the girls' bedroom, gratefully getting into her bed and welcoming sleep.

The next morning started the same way it had done the day before. They had waited once more for her, and guided her to the Great Hall, where they were one of the last to arrive. "Miss Granger, I'm honoured to tell you that I'll be your guide for the evening." Fred said as she absentmindedly chewed on her toast. "What about George?" She asked and he smiled, "My fine brother has a date with his girlfriend."

Hermione raised her eyebrow, "Girlfriend? I didn't know he had one." Fred chuckled as he leaned closer to her and nodded somewhere to her right. Following his gaze, she watched George and Angelina having a hushed conversation, smiles planted on both of their faces.

"Angelina? When did that happen?" Fred shrugged, "Dunno. I think Saturday or something, after Quidditch practice." Hermione smiled at the couple, "Well, they do look cute together." Hermione acknowledged and Fred grinned, "Too bad she ended up with the less good looking twin."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she looked at her left, "You're identical." She stated and he wiggled his eyebrows, "Admit it, I'm more handsome than he is." As he winked she shook her head with a sigh, "If you say so, Fred."

The bell rang once more and she said her goodbye to Fred, walking as slowly as she could as she dreaded to head off to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes. She absolutely couldn't stand that woman, and she would waste every ounce of energy she had on trying to control herself around her.

Luckily, she got distracted by the reading they had to do. Although, it was rather useless since Hermione already had read the entire book, but anything was better than to listen to the woman talk.

Daring to look around the class for a second, she noticed how Ron and Harry had taken a seat opposite the room. She didn't understand Ron's behaviour. Yes, she had turned him down, even a little unwillingly, but that didn't mean he had to ignore her. They were still friends after all.

Deciding she had enough of it, she cornered him right before lunch as they walked out of Transfiguration class. "Ron, what's going on?" Hermione asked after she had told Harry to go without them. "Nothing." He curtly said and tried to walk away, but she wasn't done yet. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him back to where she stood. "Look, I really am sorry for turning you down. If it wasn't for the O.W.L.s I would have said yes."

With that, Ron walked closer to her, hope twinkling in his eyes. "But Hermione, we can make it work! Look at Ginny and Harry, even he can still study for his O.W.L.s and date my sister at the same time." He grimaced a bit at the last part, but still seemed hopeful nonetheless, which broke her heart even further.

"But we both know he doesn't study, not until the very last moment that is. I'm sorry Ron, I can't make it work. Not now." Hermione apologized and the hope left his face, anger replacing it as he looked at her through squinted eyes. "And you can walk around with my brothers?" He said bitterly through clenched teeth.

"That's different." Hermione said, but even she wasn't convinced as the words left her mouth. It wasn't different at all. It was just as time consuming as dating, but she didn't see the deal with the twins as a bad thing. "I bet you love their attention, don't you? Must have been the first time to see a guy pay attention to you." He spat and Hermione's mouth dropped open, "Ronald Weasley, you are a complete arse, did you know that?" Hermione said, her voice faltering slightly as tears were forming in her eyes.

Brushing past him, she walked away, not wanting to look at him a second longer than needed to be. "Oh yeah? At least I'm not some kind of lost puppy following guys around!" He yelled behind her and Hermione brushed away the falling tears with her sleeve as she turned around the corner.

Storming into the Great Hall, she quietly seated herself near her friends and forced herself to eat some bread, even though she wasn't hungry at all. "Hermione? Are you okay?" Ginny asked and Hermione looked up at the red haired girl, noticing from the corner of her eyes that the twins were looking at her as well at the other side of the table.

"I'm fine." Hermione said, sipping on some pumpkin juice. "Have you been crying?" Harry asked in a hushed voice, so not everyone would hear. "I said I'm fine!" Hermione snapped, although she instantly felt guilty. She didn't mean to react so angry at her friends, but she did not feel like explaining the matter to them.

"Where's Ron? It's not like him to miss lunch." Harry asked halfway through lunch, his eyes landing on Hermione but she merely shrugged. She honestly didn't know, nor did she really care. If he was going to be a complete jerk to her, then she held no interest in worrying over his absence.

Thanking the bell from saving her from more questions she didn't want to answer, she rushed out of the Great Hall without waiting for Harry to walk to their class.

Compared to yesterday, the classes now seemed to last ages as she barely paid attention, her mind running wild on the hurtful things Ron said, trying to make sense of why he said them. She could understand that he was hurt, but to get so angry and make a fool of her? That seemed a little too much. Then again, he did have the emotional range of a teaspoon.

It wasn't very helpful either that today was one of her longer school days. That was one of the down sides of having a busy school schedule: if you had a down day, it could truly be a living hell to get through it.

But somehow, she had managed to do it and found herself sprawled on the couch in the common room after dinner. "So, what is it that we're going to do tonight?" Hermione asked Fred as he seated himself in the chair next to the fireplace. A smile spread on his face, "It's a surprise."

Hermione pouted, "I don't like surprises." This earned her a hearty laugh from him. "You'll have to deal with it, Hermione. I'm sure you'll live. And if not, well, you got to die in the presence of a handsome guy. Either way, the outcome is positive." Hermione shook her head, a minor smile creeping on her face. "You're so incredibly full of yourself."

Fred shrugged casually, "Not really. It just sort of happens when competing with an identical version of yourself." Hermione nodded understandingly and then looked around the deserted common room. "What is it that we're waiting for anyway?" She asked and the grin found its way back to his face again.

His eyes roamed to the clock, which upon turning her head to follow his gaze displayed nine o'clock. "I was waiting for it to be past curfew." He grinned and Hermione groaned, "Please don't tell me we're going out there now." Fred stood up with a laugh, "That's exactly what I'm saying."

With a sigh she reluctantly got up and followed him out of the common room, making sure to keep as quiet as she could whilst following the dark outline of his body through the dark corridors. Turning around a left corner, he motioned for her to follow him through a portrait.

Gratefully getting into the secret passageway and out of the risks of getting caught, she placed her hand against the stone wall as they walked down the steep flight of stairs. It seemed to go on forever, and once or twice she nearly lost her balance, but every time it happened Fred had caught her arm just in time to stabilize her. "Careful, love, wouldn't want to fall down all those floors."

"How many floors are we talking about, exactly?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice, remembering that the walls echoed greatly. "Six. You sure would end up with a sore bum if you were to tumble down here."

After another few minutes, they finally arrived at the end of the passageway, and after Fred peeked through the portrait door to see if they were alone, he pushed it open and beckoned for her to follow him through the shadows.

Looking around her she noticed that they were currently at the Entrance Hall, and Hermione winced greatly as the squeaking sound of the big wooden doors opening filled the area around them. "Aren't they supposed to be locked?" Hermione whispered and hurriedly followed him outside, wincing once more as the squeaking sound filled the air. "No, they lock at midnight, that's when Filch heads up to bed."

"Speaking of which, he could be here any moment." Fred said and Hermione's eyes bulged in surprise, "What?" She exclaimed in panic but was pulled forward as Fred grabbed her hand, forcing her to run with him over the entrance courtyard and down a haphazardly stone staircase. Walking all the way down, they ended up at the lake where they stopped running.

Both panting hard, he grinned as he let go of her hand. "I think we're good." Looking back, she couldn't see the Entrance doors anymore which meant that Filch wouldn't know either that they were here.

Fred walked forward and sat down on the ground, which Hermione copied after a flicker of hesitance. "So, how would you like me to kill him?" He asked after a minute of silence and Hermione's head shot up in surprise, "What? Kill who?" She asked taken aback.

"My git of a brother. It's him who made you cry, isn't it?" Fred asked, his voice completely serious, unlike she had ever heard before. Hermione looked down at the grass and started randomly plucking at it, not wanting to look him in the eyes. "It doesn't matter, Fred."

"Yes, it does. What did he do that made you cry anyway?" He asked gently and Hermione sighed, "Please, do give it a rest. I'm really not in the mood to talk about." She knew he was biting back his urge to press the matter, but to her relief he let the subject drop. "So, why did you take me down here?" Hermione asked, changing the subject to something less tense.

"Figured we could do with a little chat. After all, how much do we actually know each other?" Fred said and she nodded in agreement. She had known him for five years now, but never did they actually really talk. She never really bothered to look past the prankster and the troublemaker.

"So, what's your favorite colour?" Fred asked and Hermione laughed, "Honestly, my favorite colour?" Fred shrugged casually, "Got to start somewhere, don't we?" With a shake of her head, she chuckled as she answered the question. "Lilac. What's yours?"

"Orange." And with that, they spent a good ten minutes on the most simplest questions. Where she learned that his favorite food was anything with chocolate, his pajamas were orange and checkered, he once burned all his hair off as a kid when he didn't have his magic under control and that his biggest fear is to not being able to make someone laugh.

The last one is the one that got them into a more serious conversation, with deeper questions. "Why is it so important for you to make someone laugh?" Hermione asked as she looked up at the starry night. Somewhere in their conversation they had fallen back onto the ground.

"Laughter is one of the best things in the world. No matter how dark times may get, if someone were to do something to cheer the times up, it would suddenly seem a whole lot more bearable to deal with." Hermione admired his serious side thoroughly, and had now a better understanding why he and his twin were always so focused on making other people laugh.

"Why is it so important for you to always dive into books?" Fred asked and Hermione turned her head to the left, meeting Fred's already staring eyes. "Knowledge is a powerful thing. One can never know enough. And that certainly goes for when you're friends with the boy who lived." Hermione chuckled and Fred joined her. "Yeah, I s'pose your knowledge has been the reason why he's still the boy who's living."

Hermione smiled, "I do admit helping a hand once or twice." Fred laughed, "Were you always so into your books?" Hermione nodded, "As soon as I was able to read, I never stopped. It had its down sides, though. People often mocked my intelligence because of it." Fred nodded in understanding, "And look at you now. Everyone praises your intelligence." Hermione beamed a smile at that, "Yes, they do."

It indeed did feel amazing to have the world admire her knowledge for once instead of mocking it. "When are you planning on leaving Hogwarts?" Fred shrugged as he averted his eyes back to the sky above them. "We still have a lot to do, but I don't expect us to finish this year." Hermione nodded slowly and wondered why she felt rather disappointed at that.

"How did you actually befriend Harry and Ron?" Fred suddenly asked and Hermione chuckled as she thought back to the start of their friendship. "They saved me from a troll." At that his head snapped to hers, an amused look planted firmly on it. "The dungeon troll in your first year?" Hermione nodded with a grin and he laughed, "Well, that sure is a way to befriend someone. Perhaps I should try that as well. Use a troll as a peacemaker between us."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up at this. "You are my friend, Fred. I mean, yes, we do have an entire different opinion on what is acceptable in life. And we might not know each other that well either, but, I do see you as a friend." He smiled at that, "I can cancel that troll then." Hermione chuckled, "Well, you could always still do that. Just make sure you're better at defeating it than Harry and Ron were, though."

"We should probably head back to the castle." Fred said and Hermione nodded in agreement as she noticed that the sky had gotten a lot darker than the last time she had looked at it. Fred was the first one to get up, and offered his hand as she was getting up.

Gladly accepting his outstretched hand, she let herself being pulled up as they walked back up the haphazardly stone staircase, crossing the Entrance courtyard and walking back to the big wooden doors.

To both their surprises, however, they found it locked as it wouldn't budge. "Filch must have locked it." Fred guessed and nodded to their right. "Come on, there's another way into the castle." Crossing the viaduct, they walked all the way over the viaduct entrance, making sure to remain quiet as they were close to the dungeons, where Snape could hear them if they made one wrong move.

Passing Myrtle's bathroom, they walked over the stone bridge and walked two floors up until they disappeared into another secret passageway, where they walked their endless way up to the seventh floor.

"I do have to admit I'm amazed with these passageways." Hermione said as Fred opened the portrait door slightly, looking for any signs of Filch. "They truly are rather clever." He shut the portrait door as soon as he had opened it and clasped a hand against her mouth, moving her back against the wall in the process.

His eyes were focused intently on the wall behind her as he was listening closely. After a solid minute, he let his hand drop and backed away from her. "Sorry about that." He whispered and opened the portrait door once more, and widened it further as the coast was now clear.

Both running as quietly as they could to the Fat Lady, Hermione apologized profusely for waking her up once more. "Thank you, Fred. I really enjoyed tonight." Hermione smiled as they were safely back in the common room. "It was my pleasure."

"See you tomorrow." He winked with a goofy smile and disappeared up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, Hermione following suit, but turned right to the girls' dormitory. And as she let herself fall into her bed, a smile tugged on her lips as she recalled the conversation she had with him that night. Perhaps her mind could be changed indeed.


	3. Real heroes

**It happened in a blink**

 **Chapter 3: Real heroes**

 _ **A/N:** I own nothing except my mistakes. **R** eally sorry for neglecting this story for so long. Actually, I had half of this chapter written out for a long time, but life has been so incredibly hectic lately that I've had zero time to write. _

Expecting to see the twins waiting for her in the common room, she was not let down as they grinned at her. "Nice hair." Fred said, "Yes, it fits nicely with that tree over there." George joked as he pointed at the window, where they could see a tree standing on the grounds below.

Hermione glared at them, "Very funny." She walked in front of them and listened as they continued to talk behind her, "I do think that'd be a great addition to our joke shop, Georgie."

"I think so too, Freddie. A bird's nest would surely fit in there nicely. What shall we do with the eggs?"

"I was thinking some explosives. Nice for pranking mothers." Hermione rolled her eyes as she listened to their hideous ideas.

"Not to worry, Hermione, we'll give you full credit!" Fred said, his grin apparent in his voice. "Yeah, we'll even name it after you. How about exploding 'Miones?"

"I see you two have polished up your humour overnight." Hermione said as she allowed them to catch up with her. "Always do." George said with a smug smile and Hermione lightly chuckled.

"Hermione Granger, you tell me what's going on this instant!" Ginny said as soon as they sat down on the bench, the twins sandwiching her once more, and Ginny looking determined in front of her. "You'll have to be a bit more specific, Gin." Hermione said as she reached forward, helping herself to some toast.

"With you and Ron. He's been acting all weird lately, and so have you. And _I,_ as you friend, have the right to know." Ginny's voice showed all the warning signs that if she were to say no, she would personally hex her head off. So, with a sigh Hermione gave in as she chewed on her food.

"The night at Grimmauld Place when Harry arrived, Ron asked me out on a date." She kept her voice low so that nobody could overhear, but it didn't escape her notice that the twins were attentively listening to her conversation with Ginny. Not that they really tried to cover it up either. "And?"

Hermione swallowed the piece of toast as her face scrunched up uncomfortably. "And I said no." Ginny's mouth dropped at that. "You said no? I mean, I get why, I wouldn't date a git like him either, but I thought you liked him?" Hermione winced as Ginny began to talk louder and so she desperately hushed her.

"I do, it's just not the right timing. I can't afford a relationship at the moment with the O.W.L.s coming up." Ginny raised an eyebrow that showed that she wasn't buying any of that rubbish. "Is that really the reason?" Hermione nodded, for she could not see a different reason for why she said no.

"And yesterday when you cried, was it because of him?" Ginny went on and Hermione sighed, nodding curtly. "What did he do?" Ginny eagerly went on, her features turning annoyed and her voice raising slightly in anger. "He just.. said some pretty hurtful things." Hermione said and Ginny raised a threatening eyebrow. "Hermione, don't make me ask again what happened."

The twins were desperately clinging to every word she said as they even leaned closer as to get a better hearing on their conversation. "He just basically implied that I'm an attention-seeking, worthless girl who has never been liked by someone in her entire life. Someone who is unworthy of another one's love." Hermione forced the words out, because it hurt her again as she remembered his meaning behind what he had said.

Ginny by now was shaking with anger, and the twins had seemed to tense up beside her as well. "I swear to Merlin that I will hex that boy so bad that he wished he was never born." And she was serious about that as she stood up, grabbing at her wand.

As quickly as she could, Hermione got up and grabbed Ginny's arm, refraining her from walking away. "Gin, I get that you're mad, believe me, I am too. But leave him be. He's not even worth those hexes." Ginny looked at her in disbelief, "How can you even stand up for him?" That made Hermione drop Ginny's arm as she stared at the red haired woman. "I don't know.." And she honestly didn't. Perhaps she did still care about him after all.

Somehow the bell had a perfect timing over the past few days, as it now decided to ring, leaving Ginny no choice but to go to her classes. Without shooting one glance at the twins, she hurried out of the Great Hall herself and walked the familiar path through the castle to Charms class.

Even though her emotions were pretty unstable, she did manage to get through her classes as she willed herself to remember last night, where she felt so at peace. It was amazing how Fred had seemed to brighten her mood so easily, even though it was terrible not that long before. And truth to be told, that got her craving for more. He had that ability to make someone feel so at peace around him, and cheer them up at the same time.

It was for that reason that she gladly abandoned her school work for once after dinner and listened attentively to Fred and George planning out their products. They made plans to recreate objects, and temper with them as well as just using random objects for their products.

"Hermione?" Fred suddenly asked, snapping her out of her focus on the boys frantically scribbling on a piece of parchment, which he stretched out to her. "I'm sure you happen to know how to make an antidote for this potion." He said and Hermione took the piece of parchment and read the title with a raised eyebrow, "Love potion? Are you insane!"

"I warned you it might be a bad idea to show her the potion." George said and Hermione looked at the twins perplexed. "This stuff can be dangerous if it falls in the wrong hands! Which, I can guarantee you, will be of those who even dream of buying them." Hermione said and Fred beamed a smile at her, "Which is why, dear Hermione, we wish for you to make us the antidote."

"Yeah, that way when someone needs to get rid of the effects, they can simply buy the antidote and reverse it." George added and Hermione heaved a sigh, resting her case. She knew there was no possible chance of changing their minds, so that only left her with one choice: make the antidote so she could help out the people in need.

Hermione looked at their hopeful faces and groaned, "Fine, but only for the safety of the victims." They grinned in victory at each other, "We knew you couldn't resist." They chorused and she scoffed at that, "I'll need some time to work on it, though." They nodded in approval, "Just make sure it turns out alright."

Hermione smiled, "I wouldn't be Hermione Granger if I didn't strive for perfection, now would I be?" They nodded in agreement with equal smiles on their faces and continued their brainstorming over new products, once in a while dragging her into it to explain why they chose for a certain object, and how they were planning on using it.

And with that, her spirits were being lifted once more as they used their constant jokes, trying to get a reaction from her which most of the times worked.

At the end of the night, she was more than surprised by their underlying intelligence and her mood was as bright as one could make it. She could even tell that they were trying desperately to work around talking about Ron as they casually chatted about things that came to mind. And she was beyond grateful for that.

Bidding them both goodnight, she gratefully changed into her pajamas and slipped into her bed, silently thanking the twins for brightening her spirits.

Next morning, however, her gratitude was long gone as she jolted awake, falling out of her bed with a loud thud as some explosives went off in their dormitory. Lots of squealing and yelling from the other girls did not help her mood at all, as the high pitched voice of Lavender was protruding her ear canal.

Storming out of the room, she furiously looked at the twins who were wearing broad grins on their faces. "Nice pajamas you got there, Hermione. They truly are white with purple." Fred said in amusement and this riled her up even more, "Not funny!" She said as she hit his chest.

"Whoa, whoa, as much as I like to see my brother getting a beating, I figure you should save that for another brother of mine." George said as he grabbed her arms and pulled her away from his twin brother. Hermione blew a strand of hair out of her face as she heaved a sigh. "How did you manage to even get those in there anyway?" She asked as she calmed down somewhat, wondering about that mystery for she read in _Hogwarts: A history_ that boys are unable to walk up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"A levitation spell did the trick." George grinned and she nodded in understanding. "Well, I'll go ahead and change then." She said and hurriedly left the common room, not wishing for either of them to see her in her pajamas any longer than they had to.

Having changed into her school robes, they went over to breakfast and ate as Hermione conversed with Harry and Ginny as the twins were engaging in a conversation of their own with Lee and Angelina.

As the bell rang, she headed to her least favorite class of the day: Potions. It's not like she didn't enjoy the brewing, because she did, but she entirely detested the teacher: Professor Snape. She wasn't the only one, though. Everyone else at Hogwarts absolutely revolved him.

Taking a place at one of the tables, she watched as Ron reluctantly joined her and Harry, his eyes avoiding her as best as he could. Listening to the instructions of the potions they were going to brew, she waited for Snape to finish talking before she gathered all the necessary ingredients.

"So, how is the week with Fred and George going, 'Mione?" Harry asked halfway through class as more students were conversing with each other. On an acceptable volume, of course. One loud exclamation and Snape would silence them all. "It's going surprisingly well. I mean, I expected it to be complete rubbish, and even though I still don't agree with everything they do, I do admire the effort they put into their work." Hermione replied, a smile forming on her face without her realizing it.

"Really? Never thought I'd see the day." Harry grinned and Hermione chuckled, "That makes two of us." She said as she stirred around in her cauldron. "What is it that you're doing with them, though?" He asked and Hermione shrugged, "Most of the times I just listen to them working on their plans for the joke shop. Or listen to them making up products." Hermione replied and Harry looked up at her with raised eyebrows, "Is that all you do?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, it's not much that we do, but it is rather fun." That wasn't entirely true. But she really did not feel like telling about their little night trips through the castle. At least, not with Ron around anyway.

"Fun? Sounds rather boring to me." Ron scoffed under his breath and Hermione turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "And why would you care?" This was the first time they made eye contact since their last encounter, and the look in his eyes was stone cold. "I don't."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she focused back on her potion, not feeling like going into yet another argument with him. As the end of the class neared, she managed to finish her potion just in time and turned it in by Snape, cleaning their table in a hurried pace as she wanted to be away from Ron as soon as she could.

Luckily for her, she had Runes now and therefore could escape his presence for a good hour. "Hey, Hermione!" A voice yelled out from behind her and she looked over her shoulder, a grinning Fred watching her through the crowd. Slowing her pace so he could catch up with her, she turned to look at him with a questioning face. "Where's George?"

Fred shook his head, "Snogging his girlfriend, probably." Hermione chuckled, "I must admit that it's a bit weird seeing you walking around the castle without your twin by your side." She said as they casually moved through the corridors. "You're not the only one. It feels weird for me as well. Where are you heading off anyway?" He asked and Hermione pointed at the classroom at the end of the corridor. "Ancient Runes, you?"

"Charms. Anyway, I'll see you soon, 'Mione!" Fred said as he turned around the left corner, heading to his own class.

The little chat with him seemed to have brightened her mood greatly as she was easily focused on all her classes, even the ones she shared with Ron. It therefore was all too soon that it was already evening, where she had just finished her rounds and was now once again positioned in the common room with the twins by her side, hanging their heads over their cauldrons as they brewed potions for their joke shop.

She had brought her cauldron along with her as well, planning on working on the antidote for the love potion in the meantime. Once in a while, though, she would peek at their work and correct it if necessary, giving tips on how to save ingredients and still get the desired result or just changing their entire recipe to get the potion they wanted.

An occasional bicker between the two twins would catch her attention, allowing her to let out a hearty chuckle as they gave some rather silly arguments, mixed with a couple of jokes and she lightly shook her head. It truly wasn't boring once around them.

Next morning she felt slightly disappointed as the twins were nowhere in sight, having completely grown accustomed to having them waiting for her each morning. Shaking her head, she shrugged it off as she walked down the marble stairs on her own, the silence almost deafening.

Walking into the Great Hall, she took a seat next to Ginny and absentmindedly conversed with her, wondering where the twins were for she still hadn't seem them at all. And it wasn't until the end of breakfast, that they came rushing over to her and apologized frantically. "Sorry for not starting the day with you, 'Mione." Fred started and George took over, "Yeah, our friends needed a bit of help."

Hermione raised her eyebrows and squinted her eyes as she had a hunch that it had something to do with their products. "Do I even want to know?" Sheepish smiles confirmed her suspicion and they shook their heads, earning them a light chuckle from her.

She said her goodbye to the twins as she walked to Herbology on her own considering that Harry was mostly walking with Ron. She didn't blame him, for she could see how difficult it was for him to pick a side with his best friends.

Yet, that didn't mean it didn't hurt that he chose Ron over her the entire time. Take last year, for example, when she was right in the middle between Harry and Ron when they had their little fight at the start of the Tournament. She didn't pick a side back then either, now did she?

Shrugging it off, she concentrated on her next couple of classes, trying to keep an eye out for one of the twins as she switched classes every hour or so, but to no avail. There had been no sign from them since the early morning encounter, and after all her classes she had been too busy studying in the library and doing her rounds at night to actually go ahead and try to find them.

"It's okay, look, we've got it too." A hushed whisper caught her attention as she was doing her rounds, and taking a quick look at her watch, which displayed that it was well past nine – the curfew – she rounded the corner, ready to deduct house points. "Yeah, it's not that bad, it heals over time." Another voice said, and when Hermione came closer to the silhouettes in the distance, she could make out the twins sitting on either side of a first year, who was sobbing as he held his hand.

The boy looked frightened as he saw Hermione approach, and stammered as she came closer. "I-I'm really sorry, I know I-I'm not supposed to be out here." Smiling, she shook her head as she knelt down to her knees in front of him. Shooting a quick glance down at his badge, she saw he was a Ravenclaw. "Don't worry about it, I won't deduct house points. _This time._ "

Sighing, she reached into her pocket of her school robes and took out a soothing cream she had used this afternoon on herself when a pile of books had landed painfully hard on her own hand. "May I?" She spoke, keeping her voice soft as to not alarm any other teachers. They probably wouldn't be so merciful when they saw three students out of bed, and one prefect helping them.

The boy was hesitant, but at last extended his arm with a small nod. "What's your name?" Hermione asked, carefully rubbing the cream on the back of the boy's hand. Shooting a quick glance up, she saw the twins smiling at her, and she offered a quick smile back. "T-Taylor," the boy said in between silent sobs.

"Well, Taylor, I know it might be hard, but please try to be careful around Umbridge, okay? Don't want you to get hurt again." The boy nodded, looking down at his hand. Standing back up again, she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Come on now, back to bed." Taylor gave a few viscous nods, then mumbled a "Thank you" before hurriedly scurrying away.

"You two," Hermione said, turning to the twins, who sighed in unison. "We know, Hermione, we're out of bed.."

".. and we may or may not have sneaked by the kitchens not long ago.."

".. and we might also have thrown some Dungbombs into Filch's office.."

"… but we did something good at the end of the day, that should count, don't you think so, Freddie?"

"I think so too, Georgie."

Hermione rose her eyebrows at the two of them, momentarily taken aback before composing herself again. "I was going to say how sweet it was of you two to be there for the boy." The twins' eyes widened for a second, then Fred scratched behind his head. "Well, in that case, forget everything else we said."

She motioned for them to follow her, then shook her head. She was definitely not going to forget that. "I think Filch will deal with the two of you soon enough." The twins were on either side of her before she could even process it. "Unless, of course, you give a good word for us." Fred began, and Hermione groaned softly as she mentally prepared herself for the endless head turning.

"Yeah, all you have to tell him is that Fred and I were sound asleep."

"Chasing sheep and watering flowers, all safe and sound beneath our covers."

"Real heroes we are. I'm telling you, those flowers wouldn't survive long without our thoughtfulness."

The boys grinned, and Hermione rolled her eyes as she said the password to the Fat Lady, smacking them both on their arm. "You two are unbelievable." She sighed, yet a smile was grazing on her lips. "Good night."

"Good night, Hermione! Don't forget about all the good we do for this world!" Fred and George simultaneously chorused before she headed up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, leaving Hermione to wonder when she had started to grow a weak spot for the boys.


End file.
